Thousands of clients on Upwork looking for professionals like you to help with their projects.

But not all clients are right for you — some are a good fit, others are not.

There might be some clues on the client’s profile, but they’re not enough facts to consider a client a lousy fit.

In this article, I’ll show how some red flags to look out for before taking on a client.

When they ask to take the conversation off Upwork.

This is a big red flag. Upwork has all the features — instant messaging, file sharing, and video and audio calling — the freelancer and client need to complete a successful project.

Ignore any client requiring you to continue talking via Gmail or Skype. It is also against Upwork’s TOS and policies.

Other Freelancers usually have nothing good to say about them.

Before applying for a job, I review the client’s work history. It is below the project description. If you see more critical reviews about this client from other freelancers. In that case, there’s a chance you might also leave a bad review after the project is over.

Sometimes, things do not always go smoothly between the freelancer and client. You might come across see a few negative comments from other freelancers.

A few critical reviews do not mean the contract might also turn out bad for you.

Those negative reviews could be because a freelancer had problems with the lack of communication from the client’s end or how long it took for them to approve a milestone.

An excellent example of a client to avoid would be if they hired me to write content. Instead, I am tasked with responding to emails. Then, I’ll be asked to make canvas designs, etc. This is are the clients that I avoid.

Customers who do not leave reviews

This is subjective, but a client who does not leave reviews after a contract has ended is an emphatic “no” for me.

Why? I take my reviews pretty seriously. When I take on a project, the money is secondary. My focus is to satisfy the customer well enough that they’d have no choice but to leave me a stellar review.

Most clients do not understand the importance of reviews to us freelancers.

When we get more positive reviews, we are more likely to get hired and paid higher.

If you’re a regular Upwork client, please leave a review.

If all you write is: “I am delighted and impressed with xxxx’s work, I look forward to doing more business with him/her.”

Use my quick review only when you’re delighted with their work.

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